Rise USWNT Earns Two Wins Over Canada on Day 1

CHULA VISTA, Calif. - February 16, 2020 - The U.S. Rise Women's National Team kicked off their six-game series against Canada's U-18 team with two wins on the first day of competition at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

In game 1, Rise USWNT was victorious 5-0 after scoring early, then adding three goals in quick succession in the final 10 minutes. Alexandria Wesneski (Forty Fort, Pa.) got USA on the board in the 9th minute after some nice combination play from a long corner. Hope Rose (Dauphin, Pa.) doubled the lead just before halftime, slamming home a bouncing ball from close range. The third quarter was scoreless as both teams created chances. In the 49th minute, Mia Leonhardt (Media, Pa.) deflected the initial shot from Ella Kaufman (Queenstown, Md.) to put the finishing touch on a counter attack. Wesneski scored another goal with five minutes remaining on a well hit penalty corner strike to the stick side of Canada's goalkeeper. Elizabeth Yeager (Rye, N.Y.) rounded out the scoring with two minutes to play as she beat both the goalkeeper and post player with a well-executed drag flick.The final score stood 5-0 in favor of USA.

“I thought we had a good first game against Canada," said Paige Bitting(Hummelstown Pa.). "We moved the ball well which lead to some good goalscoring opportunities."

In the second match, the Rise USWNT jumped into an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter but two unanswered goals from Canada made the game a tighter affair than the first.

Abigail Tamer (Whitmore Lake, Mich.) nabbed two field goals in the first quarter. The first one came off a one-time sweep after a couple of sharp saves from the Canada goalkeeper and the second was set up by a rebound offering, this time from closer range. A minute later, Josephine Palde (Schwenksville, Pa.) produced a mirror finish as she slotted a rebound under the advancing goalkeeper. USA could not add to their early lead and just before halftime, Canada was got on the scoreboard with a penalty corner strike to the bottom left corner. With eight minutes to play, USA's lead was cut to one after Canada finished off a period of possession where they worked the ball from back-to-front to make the closing stages tense, but USA stood tall to claim the 3-2 victory.

“It was a great way to start off the first day," said Claudia Thomas (Louisville, Ky.). "The energy was high, the competitiveness was there, but we need to maintain this throughout the whole game through the rest of the series.”    

The Rise USWNT is back in action today, February 16, when they take on Canada's U-18 team for another two matches at 1:00 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. PT. These games will not be live streamed. This event is open to the public and admission is free.

Rise USWNT vs. Canada U-18 Games

Sunday, February 16Rise USWNT vs. U-18 Canada 1:00 p.m. PT
Rise USWNT vs. U-18 Canada 3:15 p.m. PT

Monday, February 17Rise USWNT vs. U-18 Canada 1:00 p.m. PT
Rise USWNT vs. U-18 Canada 3:15 p.m. PT

For more information regarding the Junior USWNT vs. Canada series including the schedule, results, rosters and more, check out the official event page by clicking here.